'Fatties cause global warming,' U.K. report says
By Jason Buckland, Sympatico / MSN Finance
And you thought United Airlines was insensitive.
A new report out of London suggests the rising number of the world’s obese is, at least in part, to blame for global warming.
You can check out the original article on the U.K.’s Sun website – fittingly titled “Fatties cause global warming” – but all you’ll find is pictures of overweight people shot from behind or the neck down, so I’ll give you scoop here instead.
According to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, obese people cause more food production than the average human which, by their interpretation, means a major increase of CO2 gas emissions that heat up the planet.
Those who are overweight are also more likely to drive, adding even more to our ever-growing carbon footprint, the report says.
“Moving about in a heavy body is like driving in a gas guzzler,” Dr. Phil Edwards tells the newspaper.
Each “fat person,” as the Sun calls them, is responsible for emitting a tonne more climate-warming carbon dioxide per year than someone of average build.
Based on the World Health Organization’s estimates of overweight people on earth, that would translate to an extra billion tonnes of CO2 being created annually thanks to those deemed overweight.
This hasn’t particularly been a good stretch for the obese; the cyclone of recent bad press starting when the aforementioned United Airlines began making them buy two airplane seats last week if they couldn’t fit into one.
Yet here’s one report probably everyone could do without. Sure, there’s probably some merit to the arguments, and yes, at least one story says fast food sales are actually up since the recession began (suggesting we’re all not eating that healthy.) But come on …
It’s not surprising to see the comments on the Sun’s story featuring phrases like “absolute stupidity” and “completely ridiculous,” and we hope that’s the attitude most of us keep on this one.
People fighting their weight have enough to deal with. I’d wager they don’t need the collapse of the world’s climate on their plate, too.
Posted by: treehugger | Apr 22, 2021 10:25:04 AM
I read the article from the UK too and thought it was just a ridiculous. What happens when everyone starts eating beans and cabbage as healthy cheap alternatives? Surely all the world's eco systems will collapse from all the noxious gases that will be emitted!
Posted by: Larry Kirk | Apr 22, 2021 11:25:05 AM
You hear just about anything, about what is causing Global Change, except the theory of a
Natural Phenomenon taking place, as it has done for all time !!
Who or what was blamed for the change from Ice Age to what we've been living in, in our time.
None of us were here then, but, changes took place anyway.
Just as they are now, and will probably keep doing for all time !!
Posted by: Larry Kirk | Apr 22, 2021 11:44:10 AM
The key element in surviving natural changes is Learning To Adapt To Them, unless you know of
somewhere else, where these things don't happen, and you are able to live there.
Posted by: Stephen | Apr 22, 2021 11:16:39 PM
Right On!
Let's bury them all underground, carbon sequesteration.
A prettier planet too.
Posted by: Andy T | Apr 23, 2021 12:42:23 AM
I don't believe fat people like to be fat. So why we have to blame them for more things like globe warming.
Can we stop blaming other people for globe warming? Start do things like:
- turn off the light when not needed;
- drive less and take TTC more;
- use less paper to save more trees;
- reset thermostat to lower temperature (2 degree C )in winter to use less heat to warm the house (wear more clothes)